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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Shun the sun: most Japanese children never see the dawn |
| 2004-08-18 |
| August 18, 2004 Osaka: Half of Japanese primary and secondary school students have never seen the sun rise or set, a survey has found. The study, conducted last year among 900 children, found Japanese youngsters spend significantly less time outdoors than previous generations. Must be the high residual background count. Compiled by Tetsuro Saito, of Kawamura Gakuen Women's University, the survey shows that 52 per cent of today's children have never seen either a sunrise or a sunset. Thirteen years ago, when the first such survey was conducted, the figure was 41 per cent. One word: Troglodytes "Today's parents don't have a lot of experience with nature," said Professor Saito, who advocates changing the classroom-bound education system to allow for more time for outdoor learning. Parents' groups and other social analysts blamed factors such as an urbanised lifestyle with its emphasis on consumption, few opportunities to spend time outdoors, and Japan's notorious cram school system. But Professor Saito and others said young people's apathetic, sometimes hostile, attitude towards nature was often shared by their parents. In Dogs and Demons, the US author Alex Kerr says Japanese prefer things to be neat, orderly and convenient rather than natural. "Thus, many municipalities in Japan cut the branches on roadsides before the leaves turn in the autumn, because residents find fallen leaves dirty and messy," he says. Nature abhors a vacuum In Kyoto, more people have complained about croaking frogs in nearby rice paddies keeping them awake than about the sound trucks of right-wing parties blasting their hate messages in the streets. Go figure. |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #5 Fooey! They are so tasty, lean and chewy. |
| Posted by: Shamu 2004-08-18 6:16:53 PM |
| #4 OMG! The Big blue room! I never go in there! I never leave my windowless basment. |
| Posted by: Flamebait93268 2004-08-18 5:23:49 PM |
| #3 why should I care about this? |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2004-08-18 10:21:31 AM |
| #2 You know the big bright light-bulb in the big blue room..... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-08-18 9:14:48 AM |
| #1 Sunset? Sunrise? What is this Sun you speak of? |
| Posted by: Flamebait93268 2004-08-18 2:25:44 AM |